Komen Move to Defund Planned Parenthood Not a Surprise

Planned Parenthood confirms that Komen is the first, and only, organization to cut off funding since the Congress began debating the issue in earnest last winter. Komen said it could not continue to fund Planned Parenthood because it has adopted new guidelines that bar it from funding organizations under congressional investigation. The House oversight and investigations subcommittee announced in the fall an investigation into Planned Parenthood’s funding. – Why Komen defunded Planned Parenthood

This Komen””Planned Parenthood relationship has long been a target of pro-life activists and, media bias aside, this appears to be a remarkable turning point. – Kathryn Lopez

Kathryn Lopez is correct and the abortion rights opponents earned it. Democrats and progressives have no one to blame but themselves.

Nothing happens suddenly on issues this large or in a vacuum. There is always a methodology to this type of madness and when you cede territory to people on a mission you rarely get it back.

In a statement by Cecile Richards of Planned Parenthood, she says she’s “shocked and saddened.” How embarrassing for her. Others write words like “creep up” to describe what has been systematic strategy utilizing tactics that the left is too squeamish to consider.

As a liberal, all I can say is that the female leaders we have today not only aren’t up to the task, but progressives have failed immeasurably and completely to defend the ground stronger women who came before won.

This fight has been around for decades and revolves around abortion rights not cancer screening. But a tipping point occurred during the health care debate when Democrats chose to allow the Hyde Amendment to be codified into law. Until the Affordability Care Act, the Hyde Amendment had to be voted on yearly in the budget.

It signified Democrats and progressives had blinked and the right got the message.

At the time, Planned Parenthood’s Cecile Richards wasn’t bothered by the move in ACA or the decisions by Democrats. But when Rep. Bart Stupak was given ground by former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the first female speaker of the House in U.S. history who also empowered the Catholic Church during health care negotiations, something fundamental shifted on the game board. Mr. Stupak was then elevated further through an unnecessary executive order signed by Pres. Obama and the message was sent and received by people who never give ground that Democrats weren’t going to suit up for the fight.

The Susan G. Komen decision is the result of getting beaten, with women across this country the victims because Ms. Richards, Ms. Pelosi, Rep. DeGette and the so-called progressive “pro-choice” caucus, along with many, many others never understood what compromise on issues of bedrock principle to the right would mean in the long-term.

We’ve seen it with Pres. Obama’s actions time and again.

The Susan B. Komen decision is about the abortion rights opponent forces winning a battle through squeezing the foundation, starting with getting them ostracized. Here’s the background if you’re interested. Komen’s current senior vice president public policy person is Karen Handel, a woman who wasn’t going to stop until the defunding of Planned Parenthood was a reality.

These are not people who capitulate and compromise for the sake of anything, unlike Democrats and progressives in Congress and their allies who set this scene up.

An entire chapter in my book, “Is Freedom Just for Men,” was written because I saw the erosion of women’s rights, which began with the Hyde Amendment decades ago. It then crescendoed with it being not only codified into law, but women are expected to find emergency insurance outside the normal routes, shrinking the pool of insured and opening the door to unavailability. In this chapter in my book, I cite all the “mini-Stupak” laws that have spread in a contagion across this country, because of the message sent by Democrats.

Susan G. Komen Foundation made the decision on Planned Parenthood because the right won critical seats in the 2010 midterms in a rabid campaign that Democrats didn’t engage fully, including on economics. It allowed Republicans to corner Planned Parenthood, which set up the investigation, which was written into Komen as something that disqualified an organization from funding.

As I wrote in “The Party’s Over,” for over 30 years Democrats have said women needed to vote for them to keep our rights secure. I’ve done that, trusted them, and with Democrats the only game in politics who aren’t cut out for the current fight, now look what has happened. What I was promised would never occur if I voted Democratic.

When you have female leaders so weak on fundamental issues of women’s individual freedoms that they are willing to give away foundational concessions on issues won through the courts it’s only a matter of time before you lose them. Putting party loyalty above all else is how this unfolded.

This was very well played strategy by the right whose tactics should have been seen a long way out. That the head of Planned Parenthood is “shocked” says it all.

Needless to say, I’m not.

Next you’ll hear a rallying cry from Democrats and others to fight back and that women’s rights are at stake! The mean anti-women’s coalition is targeting us all! Give money now!

Any organization taking your money to fund political prerogatives over the mission they’re touting doesn’t deserve one dime.

It goes beyond hypocrisy. It’s a betrayal of trust and purpose, using women as the coin.

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DIgusting. 200k women will lose breast cancer screenings and hell some may die bc of this decision by komen. credo has a great petition to the komen board. our leaders might not do what is needed by we must tell komen what we think-

As one who has spent countless hours training for and walking in 3 of the 60-mile 3-day walks and raised thousands of dollars for Komen, I just can’t find the words to describe my feelings about this. The knee jerk reaction is to abandon Komen and not donate another second of my time or money which I probably will do, ultimately.

For now, I will start with the petition. Thanks for the link to the petition, Art.

Soon, Democrats will have no one left to throw from the sleigh. One wonders when they are going to get the idea that if they keep shafting their supporters, they’ll eventually have none left, even if most of the supporters are dimwits.

I’m beyond disgust.Ã‚Â This is one of those actions that make me puke.Ã‚Â Women will soon be legally relegated to 2nd class citizenship.Ã‚Â I love the hypocrites who want government to stay out of their business, except, of course, if it’s telling a woman what she can and can’t do with her body.

A long while back I said a third party would work if all the disaffected groups left their respective parties and supported the new one.Ã‚Â I also suggested they,Ã‚Â OWS and an existing third party join forces to form a party that cannot be ignored.Ã‚Â I now believe this is the only answer,Ã‚Â there is no other.

Ironic, you know, that I adopted the screen name “ladywalker68” as a registration name for one of the events.

I signed the petition and will drop my support for the Koman foundation. I can easily make direct contributions to Planned Parenthood and where I live, there are local charities that help women who are suffering from breast cancer, so I can personally defund Koman, without defunding my support for breast cancer victims.

I won’t quibble with your assertion that lack of spine is one raison d’ÃƒÂªtre, but after reading lefty blogs for years, I will also add that the collective you will continue to not make much progress as long as you implicitly remain wedded to the notion that other people’s money is somehow your money. The SGK Foundation is clearly more sustained in its research by corporate cause marketing partnerships than personal checks from liberals. If that first group of donorsÃ‚Â is bothered by funding breast cancer screenings at abortion counseling facilities, then they have every right to express that objection. Conduct… Read more »

If that first group of donorsÃ‚Â is bothered by funding breast cancer screenings at abortion counseling facilities, then they have every right to express that objection.

I agree.

And the many walkers in the 3-day events who have raised tens of thousands of dollars (amounts to a lot more than a small personal check) who disagree have every right to express our objections by withdrawing support from Koman. I have been reading comments all over and there are many women who are on both sides of the issue.

Taylor you have been writing about this forever. My donations to Naral stopped when they cut Hillary off at the kees and my donations to PP stopped when they laid down for Stupak and Pelosi. Ladywalker is right, I should just donate to my local PP. They do good work. I used to be active with them but then I got too busy with local politics. Is it just me or do others feel like breast cancer has been way over comodified? I am sick of all the “pink”Ã‚Â things available on the market. I need to read the background… Read more »

It’s not just you, Lake Lady. Even when I was doing the walks, I was always torn with how much was raised went directly to the cause versus how much went to pay for the logistic support of the event. I don’t like to pit death counts of one disease versus another, but this turn of events justifies it. Heart disease kills more people (yes and more women) every year than breast cancer and in fact, I believe more than all cancers combined. Heart issues manifest themselves differently between the genders and yet often, women get treated with the same… Read more »

Nothing surprising here, the Democraps have always kicked their base and supporters in the teeth all promises and nothing more. Minorities, women, LGBT, where else are we gonna go. This has been going on with the Dems since the 70’s and they just get weaker and weaker, Face it they are just as bought and paid for as the Repugs. The Dems are worse because at least the Republicans you know they plan to screw you. the Dems are just flat out weak, and looking to get paid after leaving office. Again don’t know why anyone is surprised. Black Americans… Read more »

And the many walkers in the 3-day events who have raised tens of thousands of dollars (amounts to a lot more than a small personal check) who disagree have every right to express our objections by withdrawing support from Koman. I have been reading comments all over and there are many women who are on both sides of the issue. OK, fine, let’s stipulate they will lose tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands from donors such as you who believe they ought to continue toÃ‚Â provide funds to organizations that could use those dollars for either breast cancer screening… Read more »

I don’t know about it being a win for the Komen Foundation, but it appears if it has been a win for PP. According to this article in the Huffington Post, PP has received $400,000 from 6000 donors since the announcement by the Komen foundation. Also, the Komen Connecticut chapter has broken with corporate and will continue to work with PP: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/01/susan-g-komen_n_1247262.html Excerpt from the above article: The main sentiment among the thousands of people posting online seems to be that regardless of one’s position on the issue of abortion, it is wrong to politicize women’s health. According to a… Read more »